Food plate and beverage container holder

ABSTRACT

A beverage container holder is provided, consisting of an elongated body having a planar upper support surface having alternative engagement mechanisms on opposing ends and at a mid-point thereof. At one end an aperture is formed, having a support suspended therein to receive and retain a beverage container—cup, glass or can. At an opposing end and at a midpoint of the planar upper support surface, a pair of apertures cooperates with the thumb and fingers of a user&#39;s hand, to position and secure a food plate against an upper surface of the beverage container holder. The thumb and fingers extend through the apertures from a position below the holder, and in gripping the food plate, the user is also grasping the holder—which in turn may be carrying a beverage container held within the beverage-receiving aperture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/161,246, which was filed on Jul. 27, 2005, andclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/521,960,filed Jul. 27, 2004; both identified applications are incorporated byreference herein for all that they contain.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to holders, and more specifically tobeverage container holders for use with food plates. More specifically,the present invention relates to a beverage container holder thatengages with a user's hand in a manner that permits one hand through theleverage design to simultaneously support a plate of food and the holdercontaining a beverage container.

2. Description of the Prior Art

When dining, particularly in buffet or stand-up, party settings, a guestis often called upon to simultaneously hold both a plate and a beveragecontainer. This may occur while in a buffet line obtaining food andbeverages, or while moving about an event, mingling with other guests,while food is being served.

On such occasions that guest is not likely to have direct or consistentaccess to a table or counter for beverage placement in order to fill oreat from their plate. This situation makes it difficult for guests toenjoy the party or event while mingling with other guests withoutworrying about spilling their food, their beverage or both. Some guestsresort to having another guest hold their beverage, or put it down at a“safe” location while eating and mingling, only to have troubleremembering where that “safe” place was when it comes time to take adrink.

Various cup-holders are known, for example, U.S. Letters Pat. No.2,719,414 to Davis discloses a cup holding device that is detachablysecured to a plate for use when eating away from a table. Although thisdevice may work well in some instances, the plates on which it is usedmust be of sufficiently strong construction as will support the weightof the beverage-filled cup hanging from its side along with the weightof the food on the plate itself.

Most disposable paper and plastic plates are not strong enough tosupport this combined weight and therefore the Davis device would beuseless in cases where these weaker types of disposable plates areprovided for an event. In addition, the beverage container is solelysupported by the ring holder, requiring the use of tapered beveragecontainers—precluding the use of glasses or most cans.

Attachment of the holder to the plate may also present some problemswhen it comes time to re-fill the container or to refill, dispose of, orexchange the plate when food service is complete. Additionally,construction of the device is potentially complicated and expensive withrespect to the spring loaded connection member.

A patent to Boatwright (U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,170) discloses a combinationplate and cup holding device that has a curved supporting member that isreceived by and held against an edge of the plate. A handle extendsunder a bottom surface of the plate, and may be gripped by the user tosecure the supporting member against the plate.

The Boatwright device also depends upon the strength of the plateconstruction for some, if not all, of the success of the device. Inaddition, the Boatwright device does not provide flexibility withrespect to changes in plate size—the supporting member defines a certainarc length and radius, and may not work well with larger or smallerplate sizes. Additionally, the Boatwright cup holder, like thepreviously noted Davis device, can only be used with tapered beveragecontainers, and not straight-sided glasses or cans. The construction ofthe device is also potentially complicated and expensive with respect tothe curves and angles that must be constructed to adequately support theplate and cup.

Norris (U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,240) modifies disposable plates by addinghandles to the bottom of the plates, permitting a person to hold theplates from the bottom while holding beverage containers with the samehand. This device requires either the modification of existingdisposable plates or the manufacture of new disposable plates with thehandles. The handles proposed to be added to the bottom of the platesare not adjustably sized to be flexible in relation to varying sizes ofhands. The likelihood that the use of the newly modified plates willreplace the use of common, familiar, and economical plates is very smallwhich detracts from the feasibility of this device.

A need exists for a simple and economically feasible alternative tospilling or being forever on the hunt, by which a person can comfortablyand securely simultaneously carry and use a plate, or other foodcontainer, and a beverage container, without dependence on locating aseparate surface upon which to place their beverage container whileeating from the plate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a beverage containerholder that is reliable and economical, and that can be used by eitherthe left or right hand to hold a beverage container while holding acommon reusable or disposable plate or food container in the same handsimultaneously.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beveragecontainer holder with an elongated body having at one end, a receptacleof sufficient size to retain various sizes of reusable or disposabletapered beverage containers, and including a support member for thebottom of non-tapered beverage containers, such as cans and glasses. Theelongated body having at the opposite end a means by which the fingersof the hand or the whole hand can, by leverage and pivot action,securely support the device against overturning when a beveragecontainer is retained in the beverage container aperture and regardlessof whether a plate or food container is being held in that hand.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beveragecontainer holder that provides a centrally located aperture throughwhich the thumb of a user's hand must extend, enabling the user tosecurely hold the rim of the plate or food container, and provide thepivot point for the leverage action used to resist the overturningforces applied by the beverage container.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide abeverage container holder that can be used to retain a variety of commonreusable or disposable cups, glasses, cans or bottles—including suchcontainers as possess non-tapered sides.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beveragecontainer holder that is compatible with a variety of common reusable ordisposable plates or food containers, and is not dependent upon thesize, shape or strength of the plate or food container for thesuccessful use of the holder.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beveragecontainer holder that, by not in fact holding the plate, allows the userthe flexibility to hold or remove the food plate from their hand withoutaffecting the ability of the hand to securely retain the beveragecontainer including the beverage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beveragecontainer holder that can be easily and economically manufactured ofseveral different materials and in several different styles making itreusable or disposable, and appropriate for casual or formal occasions.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beveragecontainer holder that is stackable in bulk for easy packaging for saleor distribution.

The present invention fulfills a pressing, long-felt need by providing ameans by which one hand can now perform the tasks that previouslyrequired two hands. The user can now simultaneously hold a plate of foodand a beverage in one hand while freely moving about a room. The usercan now eat from the plate or drink from the beverage container withouthaving to place either item on a table or counter, or have a companionguest hold the beverage, permitting the user to eat from the plate. Thedevice can be stacked and packaged in bulk for distribution in variousquantities.

The present invention accomplishes the foregoing with a pivot andleverage based design that is sturdy, reliable, simple and flexible foruse by the right or left handed user, without excessive costs formanufacture, without dramatic changes in the manner in which the plateis held by the hand, and without requiring a change in the use of commonand economical reusable or disposal plates and cups, which are alreadyin wide use.

These objects, as well as other objects and advantages of the presentinvention will become readily apparent upon review of the description ofnon-limiting illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a beverage container holder in usein accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view, with a plate shown in phantom, showing a pivotand leverage manner of engagement between a user's hand and a beveragecontainer holder in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a beverage container holder inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a beverage container holder in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a beverage container holder inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative design for a beveragecontainer holder in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6 showinga beverage container holder of an alternative design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer tolike parts throughout. In FIG. 1, a beverage container holder 10 isshown supporting a beverage cup 14 and the fingers of a hand support afood plate 18. The cup 14 is received within a beverage containeraperture formed in the beverage container holder 10, and is supportedwithin the beverage container aperture 22 by a suspended hanger 24.

The food plate 18 is gripped by a user's hand 28, and a pair ofretention apertures—a finger aperture 32 and a thumb aperture 34—areformed in the beverage container holder 10 for this purpose. Whengripping a food plate 18 in the hand, the user 28 extends a pair offingers 38 through the finger aperture 32 and a thumb 42 through thethumb aperture 34. The food plate 18 is received between the pair offingers 38 and the thumb 42, with a segment of the rim 44 of the foodplate 18 resting against an upper surface 46 of the beverage containerholder 10 which is resting in the palm of the user's hand 28.

FIG. 2 provides additional details in regard to the manner by which apair of fingers 38, the thumb 42 of the user's hand 28, and beverageholder 10 together cooperate to grip and support the food plate 18(shown in phantom in FIG. 2). The thumb 42 extends through the thumbaperture and out over the rim of the plate 44. From this superposedposition, the thumb 42 presses and holds the food plate 18 against theupper support surface 46 of the beverage container holder 10.Additionally, the thumb aperture 34 rests around and against the base ofthe user's thumb 42 as the pivot point for the leverage action of thebeverage container.

Additional support of the food plate 18 is provided by the pair offingers 38 that extend through the finger aperture 32 and to acentrally-located position beneath the food plate 18. To enable the fullextension of the other two fingers of the hand beneath the food plate18, an outward bend 48 is formed in the beverage container holder 10adjacent the lower aperture 32.

The outward bend 48 results in a portion of the food and beveragecontainer holder 10 being spaced from the plane defined by the interfaceof the food plate 18 and the adjacent upper surface 46 of the beveragecontainer holder 10. This spacing provides a location for the pair offingers 38 to extend beneath the food plate 18 and for the other twofingers of the hand to extend around and further support the bottom ofthe plate. A second, inward bend in proximity to a terminus of thebeverage container holder 10 defines a finger support shelf 58 thatretains the beverage container holder against overturning forces byextending under the fingers of hand 38 and cooperating with the thumbaperture 34 and the thumb 42 in the leverage action of the beveragecontainer holder. The two fingers of the hand 38 rest against the fingersupport shelf 58 during their engagement with a bottom surface of thefood plate 18.

In this manner the fingers, thumb, and hand of the user 28, and thebeverage container holder 10, form a unitary assembly. Therefore, sincethe food plate 18 is never physically attached to the beverage containerholder 10, while gripped as described above, a secure and stableplatform is provided for the food plate 18. Such stability is of immensevalue as food is added to and removed from the food plate 18 during foodservice at parties and other social events.

Additional structural details of the beverage container holder 10 areshown in FIG. 3. The suspended hanger 24 is shown extending from a pairof support ears 68 that engage an upper surface of the beveragecontainer holder 10 adjacent the beverage container aperture 22. Thesuspended hanger 24 is otherwise not connected to the food and beverageholder 10, enabling for the simplified fabrication and storage thereof.

The outward bend 48 and the inward bend 54 lie substantially adjacentthe finger aperture 32, and are separated by a deflected border 72 (seeFIG. 4). As is best shown in FIG. 5, the finger support shelf 58 iscanted relative to the deflected border 72. The finger support shelf 58angles back towards the plane defined by the interface between thebeverage container holder 10 and the food plate 18 when the latter ispositioned thereon.

Just prior to use, the beverage container holder 10 is positioned overthe left or right hand of the user 28, with the hand in a palm-uporientation. The hand of the user 28 is brought into position beneaththe beverage container holder 10, which is received by entry of thethumb 42 and the fingers 38 into the thumb aperture 34 and the fingeraperture 32, respectively. The majority of users choose to insert thethird and fourth fingers into the finer aperture 32. However, for userswith a smaller hand the insertion of additional fingers into the fingeraperture 32 is also contemplated by the present invention.

Upon proper finger and thumb positioning, the bottom surface of thebeverage container holder 10 lies against the palm and wrist of the user28. The food plate 18—full, empty or somewhere in-between, may then beplaced in the palm of the user's hand 28 above the upper surface 46 ofthe beverage container holder 10, resting against both it and upon theextended fingers 38 of the user 28. The thumb 42 is then placed over theplate rim 44 to secure the food plate 18 in place upon the upper surface46 of the beverage holder 10 in the palm of the user's hand 28. At thispoint food can be placed upon or removed from (or both) the food plate18.

The beverage cup 14 (or other type of beverage container) can be placedinto the beverage container aperture 22. The hand of the user 28 at thispoint is capable of supporting both the food plate 18 and the beveragecup 14 through use of the beverage container holder 10 because of thepivot and leverage design in accordance with the present invention. Theother hand of the user (not shown in the Figures) remains free to beused for eating and drinking, as well as to secure other food ordrink—both of which are being held by the user's hand 28 utilizing thebeverage container holder 10. The otherwise destabilizing weight of thebeverage cup 14 is countered by the pivot and leverage action of thefingers and thumb insertion into their respective apertures of beverageholder 10, which then straddles the hand of the user 28. Furtherstability is obtained by the positioning of the thumb 42 against the rim44 of the food plate 18 when it is placed in the hand of the user 28.

In a presently preferred embodiment, the beverage container holder 10 isfabricated by cutting and bending a plastic material, preferably ofapproximately 3/32-inch thickness. Returning once again to FIGS. 3-5,the beverage holder 10 has an overall length of approximately 10½inches, and a width of approximately 4½ inches at the beverage containeraperture 22 that narrows to about 3⅝ inches at the outward bend 48 thatlies adjacent the finger aperture 32. The distance from the initialportion of the outward bend 48 to the tip of the finger support shelf 58is approximately 9/16 inch and consists of a deflected border 72 oflength 1 inch and the finger support shelf 58 that extends approximately2¼ inches along its central axis.

The finger aperture 32 and the thumb aperture 34 both measureapproximately 2½ inches in diameter, and the beverage container aperture22 approximately 2⅞ inches in diameter. The suspended hanger preferablyextends downwardly approximately 2¾ inches, with the support ears 68extending approximately ⅜ inch outward from the edge of the beveragecontainer aperture 22.

An alternative design utilizing a beverage container holder 80 is shownin FIG. 6. A substantially u-shaped finger support shelf 82 is formed ata first end 84 of the beverage container holder 80, and consists of afinger aperture 86 extending inward from the first end 84 and a fingersupport shelf 82 that is attached to and extends below opposing sides ofthe finger aperture 86.

A thumb aperture 92 is formed in the beverage container holder 80 at acentral location therein. The location of the finger aperture 86 and thethumb aperture 92 enable the thumb and fingers of a user's hand (notshown in FIG. 6 or 7) to be received by the beverage container holder 80in a manner similar to that discussed above in the context of analternative design. A raised ring 94 is circumferentially formed aboutand immediately adjacent the thumb aperture 92. The raised ring 94provides structural reinforcement to the thumb aperture 92 and comfortfor the thumb extending through it. In addition, the material formingthe raised ring 94 projects above the adjacent holder surface 96 of thebeverage container holder 80.

The beverage container aperture 22 remains located within the beveragecontainer holder 80 at a location distant and opposite from the fingeraperture 86. A cup-like member 102 is formed within the containeraperture 22 and extends below the beverage container holder 80. Thecup-like member 102 is preferably of substantially the same diameter asthe beverage container aperture 22—both capable of receiving beveragecontainers (not shown) having typical diameters (not super-sized). As isbest described with reference to FIG. 7, a central drainage opening 106is formed in a bottom 108 of the cup-like member 102. The centraldrainage opening 106 enables the quick drainage of any spills orsweating liquid that might form upon the surface of a chilled beverage.

In a presently preferred embodiment the alternative, beverage containerholder 80 is fabricated out of a plastic of approximate thickness ⅛ inch(this measurement and all of the following are approximate in nature andmeant to provide an example, and should not be viewed in any manner as alimitation(s)). Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the beverage containerholder 80 is 10 inches in length and, at its widest, is 4½ inches inwidth, narrowing at the first end 84 to 3½ inches in width. The diameterof the thumb aperture 92 is 2½ inches and the beverage containeraperture 22 is 3 inches. The raised ring 94 projects approximately ⅛inch above the surrounding holder surface 96. The cup-like member 102has a depth of approximately 3 inches, with the drainage opening 106having a ¼ inch diameter.

The finger aperture 86, if viewed from a side elevation, has a height of1 inch, a width of 2⅛ inches, and a depth of approximately 1¼ inches.The finger support shelf 82 measures approximately ⅝ inch wide.

My invention has been disclosed in terms of a pair of preferredembodiments thereof, which provide a beverage container holder that isof great novelty and utility.

Various changes, modifications, and alterations in the teachings of thepresent invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. It isintended that the present invention encompass such changes andmodifications.

I claim:
 1. A holder for a beverage container comprising: an elongatedplanar body that can be held over one hand of a user and under a plateheld in said one hand, said elongated planar body including a beveragecontaining aperture, a finger retaining aperture, and a thumb aperture,wherein: said beverage container aperture is located at one end of saidelongated planar body and comprises a circular opening wherein a cup canbe retained and sized such that cups of tapered construction can beinserted and retained around a perimeter thereof, said finger retainingaperture is located at an opposite end of said elongated planar body andcomprises an opening wherein two fingers of said hand can be inserted tosupport the bottom of said plate, and said thumb aperture is locatedmidway between said beverage container and finger retaining apertures ofsaid elongated planar body and comprises a circular opening throughwhich the thumb of said hand can be inserted allowing the base of thethumb to hold a rim of said plate held in said hand; a beveragecontainer support fastened to or integrally formed with said elongatedplanar body, adjacent to and extending below the beverage containeraperture, said beverage container support intended to receive and holdthe bottom of cups, cans, or containers that have no taper or areotherwise prevented from being supported by and against a rim of thebeverage container aperture; and a finger support shelf fastened to orintegrally formed with said elongated planar body adjacent to andextending below said finger aperture, said finger support shelf intendedto extend under the fingers of said hand while said fingers support thebottom of said plate held in said hand in order to resist theoverturning forces imposed on the holder by the weight of the beveragecontainer retained in the beverage container aperture.
 2. A holder for abeverage container according to claim 1, wherein said beverage containersupport for the bottom of beverage containers is a cup-like member, andwherein said cup-like member is provided with substantially cylindricalside walls and a bottom.
 3. A holder for a beverage container accordingto claim 1, wherein said beverage container support for the bottom ofbeverage containers is a suspended hanger.
 4. A holder for a beveragecontainer according to claim 1, and further comprising a raised ringformed in said elongated planar body, said raised ring located adjacentto and circumferentially about said thumb aperture.